Exploration on cold adaptation of Antarctic lichen via detection of positive selection genes.

Lichen as mutualistic symbiosis is the dominant organism in various extreme terrestrial environment on Earth, however, the mechanisms of their adaptation to extreme habitats have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we chose the Antarctic dominant lichen species Usnea aurantiacoatra to generate a high-quality genome, carried out phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood and identify genes under positive selection. We performed functional enrichment analysis on the positively selected genes (PSGs) and found that most of the PSGs focused on transmembrane transporter activity and vacuole components.

The adaptation of lichen symbiosis to desert saline-alkali stress depends more on their symbiotic algae.

Soil salinization is a major environmental threat to the entire terrestrial ecosystem. Lichens arose from the symbiosis of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria. They have a high tolerance to various extreme environments, including adaptation to saline-alkali habitats.

Host selection tendency of key microbiota in arid desert lichen crusts.

Lichen genus in biological soil crust form was chosen as a model to investigate the bacterial communities for the first time across four vertically distinct strata. Key bacterial microbiota in lichen thallus were discovered, which were gradually filtered and mainly derived from the crust soil, with clear host selection tendency. The study provided key information to better understand the homeostasis maintenance mechanism of the lichen symbiont and community assembly of desert lichen crust.

Regulation of symbiotic interactions and primitive lichen differentiation by UMP1 MAP kinase in Umbilicaria muhlenbergii.

Lichens are of great ecological importance but mechanisms regulating lichen symbiosis are not clear. Umbilicaria muhlenbergii is a lichen-forming fungus amenable to molecular manipulations and dimorphic. Here, we established conditions conducive to symbiotic interactions and lichen differentiation and showed the importance of UMP1 MAP kinase in lichen development.

Efficacy and safety of atropine at different concentrations in prevention of myopia progression in Asian children: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Aim: To assess the efficacy versus the adverse effects of various concentrations of atropine in the prevention of myopia in Asian children.

Methods: Databases (PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Web of science) were comprehensively searched from inception to April 2022. Types of studies included were randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Differential analysis of aqueous humor cytokine levels in patients with macular edema secondary to diabetic retinopathy or retinal vein occlusion.

Aim: To evaluate the difference and the correlation between the concentrations of cytokines in the aqueous humor of eyes with macular edema secondary to diabetic retinopathy (DR) or retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: This is a retrospective case control study. The aqueous humor samples were collected during intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for patients diagnosed with macular edema secondary to DR (DME) or RVO (RVO-ME) at Xijing Hospital from August 2021 to July 2022.

Discovery and excavation of lichen bioactive natural products.

Lichen natural products are a tremendous source of new bioactive chemical entities for drug discovery. The ability to survive in harsh conditions can be directly correlated with the production of some unique lichen metabolites. Despite the potential applications, these unique metabolites have been underutilized by pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries due to their slow growth, low biomass availability, and technical challenges involved in their artificial cultivation.

Liver X Receptor Agonist Inhibits Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Induced Choroidal Neovascularization via the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common blindness-causing disease among the elderly. Under oxidative stress, low-density lipoprotein in the outer layer of the retina is easily converted into oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL), which promotes the development of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), the main pathological change in wet AMD. Liver X receptor (LXR), a ligand-activated nuclear transcription factor, regulates various processes related to CNV, including lipid metabolism, cholesterol transport, inflammation, and angiogenesis.

The Jurassic epiphytic macrolichen reveals the oldest lichen-plant interaction in a Mesozoic forest ecosystem.

Lichens are well known as pioneer organisms or stress-tolerant extremophiles, potentially playing a core role in the early formation of terrestrial ecosystems. Epiphytic macrolichens are known to contribute to the water- and nutrient cycles in forest ecosystem. But due to the scarcity of fossil record, the evolutionary history of epiphytic macrolichens is poorly documented.

New Insights into Lichenization in Agaricomycetes Based on an Unusual New Basidiolichen Species of str.

The genus is an ideal genus for studying the evolutionary mechanism of lichenization. Based on molecular phylogeny using ITS and nuLSU sequences by means of Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses and morphological examination, combining the existence of green algae in basidiomata stipe and a -type vegetative thallus, we described a bryophilous new basidiolichen species, , from a residential area of Jiangxi Province, China. This finding of unusual new basidiolichen species updated our understanding of the delimitation of , indicating that both non-lichen-forming and lichen-forming fungal species are included simultaneously.

Morphological and Phylogenetic Characterizations Reveal Five New Species of (, ) from China.

The lichenized fungal genus is an important element of crustose lichen communities in tropical to subtropical forests. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic approaches to investigate species diversity of () from Southern China were carried out in this study. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses were generated based on the combined data set of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), partial regions of the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU), and the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II gene sequences (RPB1).

Two New Species and Two New Records of the Lichen-Forming Fungal Genus (Ascomycota: Peltulaceae) from China.

In this study, two new species, Q.X. Yang & X.

Hidden Species Diversity was Explored in Two Genera of Catapyrenioid Lichens (Verrucariaceae, Ascomycota) from the Deserts of China.

Verrucariaceae is the third-largest lichen family with high species diversity. However, this diversity has not been well-explored in China. We carried out a wide-scale field investigation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China from 2017 to 2021.

Five New Species of the Lichen-Forming Fungal Genus from China.

The genus is an important cyanobacterial lichen group. We performed a taxonomic study on the from China using phylogenetic analysis based on three gene loci (ITS, nuSSU, nuLSU) together with additional species delimitation analyses by ABGD, bPTP and GMYC approaches and the phenotypic characteristics. Five new species (, , , and ) were found and described.

Twelve New Species Reveal Cryptic Diversification in Foliicolous Lichens of s.lat. (, ).

We employed a molecular phylogenetic approach using five markers (ITS, nuSSU, nuLSU, TEF1-α, and RPB2) to assess potential cryptic speciation in foliicolous members of s.lat. (), including the recently segregated genera , , , , and , from tropical areas in Asia, with selected materials from the Neotropics as reference.

Coregulation of dimorphism and symbiosis by cyclic AMP signaling in the lichenized fungus .

is the only known dimorphic lichenized fungus that grows in the hyphal form in lichen thalli but as yeast cells in axenic cultures. However, the regulation of yeast-to-hypha transition and its relationship to the establishment of symbiosis are not clear. In this study, we show that nutrient limitation and hyperosmotic stress trigger the dimorphic change in Contact with algal cells of its photobiont induced pseudohyphal growth.

Lichen mimesis in mid-Mesozoic lacewings.

Animals mimicking other organisms or using camouflage to deceive predators are vital survival strategies. Modern and fossil insects can simulate diverse objects. Lichens are an ancient symbiosis between a fungus and an alga or a cyanobacterium that sometimes have a plant-like appearance and occasionally are mimicked by modern animals.

Dual RNA-seq of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola infecting rice reveals novel insights into bacterial-plant interaction.

The Gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) is the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak (BLS), one of the most destructive diseases of rice (Oryza sativa L.) that is the important staple crop.

A new species of the lichenised genus (Baeomycetaceae, Baeomycetales) from Tengger Desert of China.

The monotypic lichenised genus (Baeomycetaceae, Baeomycetales), with its single species , is distributed in the arid areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including China. In this paper, we introduce another species new to science, . The new species is characterised by a densely pruinose upper surface, abundantly thick and strong rhizines and terricolous habitat.

Supervised PolSAR Image Classification with Multiple Features and Locally Linear Embedding.

In this paper, we propose a new method of land use and land cover classification for polarimetric SAR data. This algorithm consists of three parts. First, the multiple-component model-based scattering decomposition technique is improved and the decomposed scattering powers can be used to support the classification of PolSAR data.

New 1, 2-naphthoquinone-derived pigments from the mycobiont of lichen Sprengel.

A new yellow pigment trypethelonamide A (), and a new dark violet-red pigment 5'-hydroxytrypethelone (), as well as three known dark violet-red pigments (+)-8-hydroxy-7-methoxytrypethelone (), (+)-trypethelone () and (-)-trypethelone () were isolated from the cultured lichenized fungus . The structures of and were determined to be 1, 2-naphthoquinone derivatives by extensive spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of and were assigned by quantum electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation.

lncRNA NEAT1 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by regulating miR‑365/RGS20 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of tumor progression. However, the function and mechanism of lncRNA NEAT1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are unclear. In the present study, NEAT1 was significantly upregulated in OSCC cells and tissues.

Modification and functional adaptation of the MBF1 gene family in the lichenized fungus Endocarpon pusillum under environmental stress.

The multiprotein-bridging factor 1 (MBF1) gene family is well known in archaea, non-lichenized fungi, plants, and animals, and contains stress tolerance-related genes. Here, we identified four unique mbf1 genes in the lichenized fungi Endocarpon spp. A phylogenetic analysis based on protein sequences showed the translated MBF1 proteins of the newly isolated mbf1 genes formed a monophyletic clade different from other lichen-forming fungi and Ascomycota groups in general, which may reflect the evolution of the biological functions of MBF1s.

Two new species of Endocarpon (Verrucariaceae, Ascomycota) from China.

Endocarpon species are key components of biological soil crusts. Phenotypic and systematic molecular analyses were carried out to identify samples of Endocarpon collected from the southeast edge of the Tengger Desert in China. These morphological and molecular analyses revealed two previously undescribed species that form highly supported independent monophyletic clades within Endocarpon.